Principal: Ms. Charlene M. Scime

Vice Principals: Mr. Russell Atkinson and Mr. Mark Ruzylo

OZZIE

REPORT

October 2015

Message from the Principal

Welcome to a new school year! It is wonderful to see the students back from summer holidays and the school abuzz with activity. As a principal new to CCI, it has been an enjoyable couple of weeks getting to know the students, staff, and community of Collingwood. To experience our recent Terry Fox Run as a whole-school event was particularly special, and our Grade 9 Day was a resounding success with smiles and laughter all around. Our staff at CCI is prepared and committed to supporting positive out-comes for every student. In addition, we know and appreciate the im-portant role that parents and guardians provide in supporting students with their academics and extra-curricular activities. The start of a new school year is the ideal time for students to establish learning skills and work habits that will set them up for success. Help is available from classroom teachers, Special Education, Student Success, Student Services and Administration. We encourage all students to enjoy what CCI has to offer in the way of curriculum, school activities, teams, clubs and several other wonderful, school and community initiatives that foster school spirit and camarade-rie. Our student leadership groups have planned a number of exciting activities for this school year. Many of the fond memories from high school come from the richness of our school experiences and our involve-ment in school life. Students are encouraged to participate fully, have fun, and represent CCI well. Please visit our website at cci.scdsb.on.ca or follow us on twitter @CCI_SCDSB to keep up-to-date with school happenings as the year progresses. I look forward to a terrific school year as an OWL! Ms. Charlene Scime

DATES TO REMEMBER

October 12: Thanksgiving

October 13: School Council Meeting

October 9: Progress Reports

October 15 : Parent Interviews

October 23: School Photo Retakes

November 2-12: Grad Photos

November 4: Take a Grade 9 to Work Day

November 10: Wise Owl’s Achievement Night

School Council Meeting

November 13: PD Day

November 19: Mid Term Reports

Mental Health Presentation for Parents

November 25: Canadian Senior and Inter. Mathematics

Contests

December 10: Christmas Concert

December 21-January 4: Christmas Holidays

January 12: Grade 8 Open House

School Council Meeting

January 28-February 3: Semi Final Exams

February 8: Semester 2 begins

Parent Portal Access Code for Grade 9’s:

Recently, you would have received a letter which included your child's

Access ID number . Below is your child’s SCDSB Pupil Number which

must be used as the Access Password to add your child Sally Smith to

your Parent Portal account.

SCDSB Pupil Number: 11001234 (This number will be used as the

Access Password when adding your child to your Parent Portal account.)

Follow this link to register:

http://www.scdsb.on.ca/Parents/Pages/Parent-Portal.aspx

Transportation:

For school bus transportation information, visit the Simcoe County

Student Transportation Consortium’s website at:

main.simcoecountyschoolbus.ca. And remember to bookmark the

school bus information page at: simcoecountyschoolbus.ca for bus

delay and cancellation information on inclement weather days.

English as a Second Language - register now for fall Do you or someone you know want to improve your English lan-guage skills? The SCDSB Learning Centres can help. English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for adults are offered at the Barrie, Bradford and Alliston Learning Centres. Please visit www.thelearningcentres.com or call for more information: Barrie 705-725-8360, Bradford: 905-775-4432, Alliston: 705-435-7778. Day and evening classes start in September.

Keep connected with your school and the SCDSB It’s important to get accurate information about what’s going on at your school and your school board, including possible labour situa-tions. Please feel free to call the school at any time if you have questions or concerns.

You can subscribe to our school’s website by visiting the ‘What's New’ section at http://cci.scdsb.on.ca. You can sign up to re-ceive emails about school news updates and information during emergency situations. It’s easy to subscribe – visit our website and click the ‘Subscribe’ link at the very top of the page. When you fill out your email and click Subscribe, an email will be sent to your inbox with a link to click to confirm that you want to subscribe. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link at the bottom of each email.

For Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) media releases and event information, visit the ‘News’ section under ‘About Us’ at the SCDSB’s website: www.scdsb.on.ca. The SCDSB Education Centre can be reach at 705-734-6363.

Follow the SCDSB on Twitter @SCDSB_Schools, Facebook

(facebook.com/SCDSB) and Instagram (instagram.com/scdsb)

Through SCDSB’s Sharing Simcoe blog (www.sharingsimcoe.com), we share stories of some of the amazing people involved in our schools. The blog features stories and tips from our own in-house experts and experts we work with in the community, as well as good news stories about our schools.

Student Accident Insurance 2015-16

Student injuries at school, during school events, and extra-curricular

activities (athletics, clubs, and out-of-province/out-of-country trips)

are not covered by the Board or its insurance company. While every

precaution is taken to provide a safe learning environment, accidents

can and do happen. It is essential that all students participating in

extra-curricular activities have adequate insurance coverage for all

instances of injury. The Simcoe County District School Board has

selected the “insure my kids” program through Old Republic Canada

as an option for students/parents/guardians to consider with regards

to purchasing student accident insurance coverage for the upcoming

school year. The coverage is for 24 hours a day. This insurance offers

a variety of plans and benefits at reasonable annual prices. Coverage

can be purchased online at www.insuremykids.com. Please watch for

your student accident insurance package along with a letter about

requirements for extra-curricular activities and out-of-province or out

-of-country trips.

Pay for field trips, lunch days, etc. with SchoolCash

Online

The SchoolCash Online program is available at our school,

offering parents the option to pay online for lunch days and

other items. Parents who sign up will receive a notification

when a new item becomes available for purchase. Items are

personalized to each student. Parents use a secure online ac-

count to process payments, and can either make a one-time

payment for each item as it occurs, or load money to carry a

balance in the online account to make payments in the future.

To create an online account, go to

simcoecounty.schoolcashonline.com. Please contact the

school office with any questions.

Giving back to the school community - volunteer in our

school

Volunteers are an important part of what makes our school a

great place to learn and grow. We value and appreciate the

support of our volunteers. There are many opportunities avail-

able, including school council, breakfast clubs, reading help,

assisting in the classroom or library and much more. Everyone

who volunteers in a school must have a criminal record check,

which includes a Vulnerable Sector Screening. Please call or

visit the school office for more information about opportuni-

ties available or if you’d like to volunteer!

Register now for Night School courses – new blended for-

mat offers online option

Night School programs at The Learning Centres offer second-

ary school credits in a variety of subjects for students com-

pleting their Ontario Secondary School Diploma, students

who are preparing for post-secondary education and adult

learners. Subjects include math, English, chemistry, biology,

physics, social sciences and international languages (Spanish,

Mandarin, German and Japanese).

All night school courses (with the exception of international

languages) are now offered in a blended format where stu-

dents attend in-class sessions once per week and complete the

remainder of their weekly work through online modules.

Night School is offered during the following dates:

Semester 1: September 15, 2015 to January 21, 2016

Semester 2: February 16 to June 16, 2016

Visit www.thelearningcentres.com/learning-centres-programs/night-school for more information, locations and to register.

Reminder from the Health Unit: Packing a healthy school

lunch

School lunches should give children the energy and nutrients they

need to be ready to learn, be more alert and perform better at

school. When planning lunches, keep these tips in mind:

Include one serving from at least three of the four food

groups from Canada's Food Guide

Rather than buying pre-made lunch kits, make your own

healthy lunch kit with divided containers and small bite-sized

cheese cubes, leftover chicken chunks, veggie sticks or fruit slices

Get your kids to eat more veggies! Try sending cucumber

coins, zucchini sticks and pepper strips with dip

Don’t have them drink their fruit - send water or milk instead

For more information, call the Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-5720 and speak with a public health nurse or visit the health unit’s website at www.simcoemuskokahealth.org. Also, check out the SCDSB’s Sharing Simcoe blog post on healthy school lunch ideas your kids will actually eat: www.sharingsimcoe.com.

Safe and active routes to school

Do you remember walking and biking to school and how much

fun it was to meet up with your friends, and how physical activity

made you feel energized for the day?

Most Canadian children are not getting enough daily physical

activity which means they’re not active enough to achieve opti-

mal growth and development and maintain a healthy weight.

Regularly walking or cycling to school is an excellent way to get

the 60 minutes of recommended daily physical activity, but few

children now regularly walk and cycle to school. Children can

also learn other valuable skills such as safety, responsibility, inde-

pendence and an increased connection to the community. De-

creased car traffic in and around the school also means increased

safety and improved air quality.

In the Simcoe County District School Board, we are working with

Active Transportation Barrie to positively impact student life-

styles with support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the

Healthy Communities Partnership Fund through the Barrie/

Simcoe Cycling Club and the Simcoe Muskoka District Health

Unit. Two SCDSB schools, Portage View Public School and Em-

ma King Elementary School, are currently participating in a pilot

project focused on promoting and facilitating active transporta-

tion.

School Travel Planning (STP) coaches are working with both schools as volunteers, documenting barriers to active and safe routes to school and creating and implementing unique school travel plans based on data collected through classroom and family surveys. To find out more about the recommendations for physi-cal activity and how to make Active and Safe Routes to School happen in your school community, visit www.saferoutestoschool.ca. For more information, call the Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520 and speak with a public health nurse or visit www.simcoemuskokahealth.org.

We Day On Friday, October 2, members of CCI's Youth in Action group attended Free the Children's We Day in Toronto. Over 20,000 students filled the Air Canada Centre for inspiration and celebration, provided by an amazing lineup of speakers and entertainers. Canadian Olympic athlete and gold medalist Silken Laumann spoke about the challenge of preparing herself for the Olympics after a devastating injury; Michael "Pinball" Clemons inspired students with his story of the importance of teamwork; actor Henry Winkler ("The Fonze") shared his experiences as a student struggling with a not-yet diagnosed learning disability. Musical entertainment included Carly Rae Jepsen, Hedley, Joe Jonas, Hozier, and Shawn Mendez. ACC was alive with "the power of we"!

Youth in Action members are busy now planning their first social action campaigns for this school year--beginning with We Scare Hunger, the tradi-tionally very successful Halloweeen food drive. Plans for this event include a school-wide food drive and trick-or-treating for non-perishable food items on Halloween night. As in the past proceeds from We Scare Hunger will be donated to CCI's Helping Hands program. Students are gearing up for an exciting, inspiring year of action!

CCI Robotics: The CCI Robotics club has started up again this year with lots of interest from grade 9s up to grade 12s. The clubs main focus this year will be to design and build two robots to compete at Skill Canada in the Robotics Competition. In this year’s compe-tition the two robots will work together to collect 11 wooden boat parts then assemble the wooden boat. It should be an excit-ing year.

Reminder from the Health Unit: School grounds are smoke free 24/7 Protect yourself and your children from the health hazards of secondhand smoke. Remember, it is against the law to smoke ANYWHERE on school property at ANY TIME. This includes smoking in your vehicle while pick-ing up or dropping off students. It is also against the law to smoke or hold lit tobacco in a vehicle carrying anyone under age 16. The fine for ignoring the law is $250. For more information contact the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520 or visit www.simcoemuskokahealth.org.

Ontario’s New Health & Physical Education Curriculum The world has changed since the sexual health education section of the cur-riculum was last updated in 1998. Research shows that children now enter puberty earlier. Young people now have widespread access to the Internet, social media and smart phones, giving them easy access to both helpful and potentially harmful and incorrect information. Educating children with accu-rate and current information, and skills and strategies to help them navigate a digital world can help keep them safe and healthy. Ontario’s updated Health and Physical Education Curriculum includes sexual education. Get accurate information about the topics and concepts students learn in school – by grade level – at www.ontario.ca/hpe.

Guidance

Year at a Glance/College/University Assemblies: Over the

past two weeks, grade 12 students having received information

about scholarships, college and university applications and a

“Year at a Glance” calendar. The Year at a Glance is on the

CCI website under Guidance. In order for students to receive

information, they must be signed up for “Remind” messages.

If you are interested in getting messages, please text 647-496-

4359 and enter @ccigrads16, you will be added to the class

list. In November, there will be a lunch time presentation on

how to apply to the Colleges and Universities.

College/University Information Session for Parents: On

Parent Teacher Interview night (October 15), there will be an

information session in the library starting at 7:30 sharp. Schol-

arship information will be covered as well as information on

the university and college application process. This session is

intended for parents. Students are welcome as well.

University Information Program: All 21 Ontar io Universi-

ties will be at CCI for a university fair on Oct 21 from 12:45-

2:15 in the cafeteria. Parents and students, please feel free to

drop in and talk to a university representative. This is an im-

portant starting point for post-secondary research.

College Information Program: On October 30th, Grade 12

students will have an opportunity to attend the College Infor-

mation Program at Georgian College Barrie Campus. This

event is a great way for students to meet with representatives

from all Ontario Colleges and gather information about pro-

grams, pathways between college and university and future

career opportunities. Students will also be able to ask ques-

tions about college applications, campus life, housing, student

services and financial aid. A campus tour and sample lecture

will also be arranged so that students can have a “college stu-

dent” experience.

Ms. Swinwood and Mrs. Shand will be talking to Grade 12

homerooms about this awesome opportunity and hand out field

trip forms after Thanksgiving. Permission forms can also be

picked up in the guidance office. The bus can only hold 45

students, so permission forms need to be handed in to guidance

ASAP to reserve a spot. The cost will be $5.00/student to cov-

er transportation fees.

Wellness Supports: At CCI we are very for tunate to have

a number of community support services offered to our stu-

dents here at school. Students who are struggling with social,

emotional, behavioural, health and addictions issues can be

referred for individual and confidential counselling support

with the following service agencies: Karen Wakeman - New

Path Youth and Family Services Adolescent Outreach Worker,

Pamela Thorne - Youth Mental Health and Addictions Coun-

sellor with the Canadian Mental Health Association, Lisa Long

–Registered Nurse and Alannah Paylor – Youth Outreach

Worker with the South Georgian Bay Community Health Cen-

tre. Students may also be referred to a Simcoe County District

School Board Child and Youth Worker and/or area Social

Worker for school based support services. Please speak to an

about the support services available to students.

Girls Talk: The Gir ls Talk program provides a safe place for

young women to connect with each other and to learn about depres-

sion and its contributing factors. Young women will develop self-

awareness, coping strategies, self-esteem and critical thinking skills

through artistic and recreational activities. At CCI, we are fortunate

to have the support of the South Georgian Bay Community Health

Centre and our school based Child and Youth Worker who will co-

facilitate this program for a group of girls in grades 9 and 10.

Take Our Kids to Work Day: On Wednesday, November 4, 2015

all students in Grade 9 will have the opportunity to spend the day in

the workplace of a parent, relative, friend or volunteer host. Now in

its 21st year, Take Our Kids to Work Day annually involves more

than 250,000 students across Canada in a day of career exploration

and learning about the skills required in the world of work. More

information and permission forms will be sent home on Monday

October 19th. Please speak with your student about what workplace

they would like to attend on November 4th and return the permission

form as soon as possible.

Wise Owls Achievement Awards: This year we will be changing the format for the Wise Owls presentation this year. An awards assembly will honour current grade 10, 11 and 12 students on their academic achievements from last year. Character Education awards will also be presented. It will be held during the day in November. Students receiving an award will receive an invitation for parents to attend.